Hannah Emmanuele
A teacher received a standing ovation from 1,500 community members gathered at Ward Melville High School on Long Island yesterday. State Education Commissioner John King, Regents Chair Merryl Tisch and NY State Sen. John Flanagan listened to the community’s concerns about the new Common Core curriculum and high stakes tests that are driving it. During the session, King insisted that overall the new reforms have been working.
Learn more about the forums here. Following is a transcript of the video above:
I am here to report that you are abusing children in the State of New York.
There is now a Common Core syndrome. Do you understand what that means? We have children who are being diagnosed by psychologists with a syndrome directly related to work that they do in the classroom. If that’s not child abuse I don’t know what is.
I am very happy Mr. Tisch that you are here because I have 50 letters with me and I have mailed you 300 others asking for Mr. King’s resignation and firing [as State Education Commissioner.]
I have no problem being judged by anyone. I was judged as highly effective last year as (Superintendent) Dr. Joseph Rella can attest.
Obviously Mr. King, you are ineffective. Seventy percent of the children in this state failed your test.
I appreciate [Sen.] Flanagan that you are listening, but I’m not sure you’re hearing…because you’ve awoken the mommies, you’re in trouble. What’s going to happen is that hundreds of thousands of mommies are going to fill out this form and they are going to have their children refuse to take your test. Because the mommies of New York do not abuse their children and they’re not going to let bullies do it either.
